CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s April 28, 2014. I`m Carl Azuz. This is CNN STUDENT NEWS. Ten minutes of current events with no commercials. First up today, a prime minister resigns. The official from South Korea took responsibility for the sinking of a ferry on April 16. The ship was headed to a tourist resort off South Korea`s coast, when it tilted suddenly and eventually sank. Officials aren`t sure yet why it went down so quickly, but of the 476 people aboard only 174 of them survived. The captain and 14 crew members have been arrested. There`s a criminal investigation going on right now.
Prime Minister Chung Hong-won says the country`s government didn`t respond quickly enough to the disaster and that it disappointed the public. He wasn`t South Korea`s leader. That`s the president, but the prime minister`s action is the highest profile resignation following the accident.
In Vatican City history was made yesterday for the Roman Catholic Church. John XXIII and John Paul II, man who led that church were canonized or declared saints. Pope Francis called the man of courage, for whom God and faith were more powerful than the tragic events of the 20th century. This was the first time that two papal canonizations happened at once, also the first time that two living popes attended the ceremony. Current Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who resigned last year.
Teachers, for more on the canonization significance, please look up Thursday show in our online archives.
Is Ukraine headed for civil war? We`ve talked about how many people in Eastern Ukraine have ties to Russia. They want to be allied with their eastern neighbor. In other parts of Ukraine, like the capital, many want to be closer to Western Europe.
Last week, Ukrainian forces said they killed five fighters who supported Russia. Then Russia started military drills near Ukraine`s border saying Ukraine`s attacking its own civilians. It`s clear why things are tense.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Ukraine today, a country bracing itself for war. Ukrainian military training volunteers to defend the east if Russia were to invade. And dropping leaflets warning residents to stay at home and keep their children safe.
Schools there are already eerily empty.
In an ominous warning delivered on national television, Ukraine`s prime minister accused Russia of risking World War III.
ARSENIY YATSENYUK, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Military aggression by Russia on Ukraine`s territory will lead to military conflict in Europe. The world has not yet forgotten World War II, but Russia already wants to start World War III.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the situation on the ground deteriorating rapidly, President Obama spoke urgently with European leaders to build unity behind a new round of sanctions against Russia.
U.S. officials say the additional penalties would target key Putin allies and possibly institutions such as banks they do business with.
But even as officials drafted the final language, the president conceded such measures are unlikely to deter Russian aggression.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think it`s important for us not to anticipate that the targeted sanctions that we are applying now necessarily solve the problem. What we`ve been trying to do is to continually raise the costs for Russia of their actions while still leaving the possibility of them moving in a different direction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For their part, Russian leaders continued to accuse the U.S. of orchestrating the crisis.
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): There can be no one sided demands here. And we are being presented them. First of all, I mean the United States of America, which has an outstanding ability to turn everything on its head.
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AZUZ: We are rapping up our financial literacy month coverage. We`ve been talking about terms that are especially useful if you`re considering higher education. Today is related to saving for that. It`s 529 - as in 529 Savings Plan. This is a kind of account that`s usually set up by a relative. It`s a way to save money for most forms of higher education, like college or trade school, and while the plans are different depending on the state they are based in, they usually provide some tax advantages for those who invest in them. So, they can save money while they are saving for their children`s college tuition.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for "The Shoutout". The scale that measures the intensity of tornadoes is named for what scientist? If you think you know it shout it out. Is it Herbert Saffir, Charles Richter, Theodore Fujita or Robert Simpson?
In 1971, Dr. Ted Fujita at the University of Chicago devised the skeleton measure the damage caused by tornadoes. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.
AZUZ: Today, scientists use the enhanced Fujita, or EF scale to classify tornadoes. It estimates wind speeds of tornadoes, based on the damage caused. For instance, and EF- tornado, the lowest rating may have winds of 65 to 85 miles per hour and may lightly damage some roofs. An EF-5, the most intense has winds of over 200 miles per hour and can destroy entire buildings. The EF scale will be one tool storm trackers have with tornado season ramping up.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. see some of the most violent and destructive storms in the spring, sometimes producing large tornadoes, in fact less than two weeks after the Moore, Oklahoma tornadoes struck, another hit El Reno, about 30 miles away. The El Reno tornado ended up being the widest tornado recorded in history.
Both towns, in fact, the entire state of Oklahoma, lie in a place called tornado alley.
GREG CARBIN, NOAA METEOROLOGIST: Tornado alley typically refers to a large area, the central United States, basically the Great Plains, and it`s the topography of that region of the country and really the topography of North America that sets up the conditions, in which severe thunderstorms and tornadoes can form.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This area is more prone to tornadoes, especially in the spring. Greg Carbin is a meteorologist for NOAA storm prediction center. He says it`s when the ingredients collide in this area that oftentimes create the perfect storm.
CARBIN: The Rocky Mountains across the western United States and then the Gulf of Mexico providing warm moist air, this environment sets up weather systems that can produce long lived, large thunderstorms that are associated with tornadoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But so far this year, we haven`t seen as many tornadoes. In fact, the March tornado count is one of the lowest on record. On average, 80 tornadoes touch down in March, and this year, only 21 were reported. Carbin says, you can partly thank the brutal winter for the low tornado numbers.
CARBIN: There`s a relationship between colder air masses and the lack of fuel for thunderstorm development. And also, below normal temperatures across the northern Gulf of Mexico have prevented that fuel from being brought up into parts of the plains in the southern United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because severe weather season is getting off to a late start it doesn`t mean it will stay that way. Nonetheless, all meteorologists hope you`ll be aware, leave prepared and have a plan in place in case nature decides to put on the show.
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: In order to get a thunderstorm to mature and develop, you`ve got to have the perfect ingredients in place. Think of it like baking a cake. If you leave out one ingredient, it`s not going to work. So, in the case of a thunderstorm, you`ve got to have a triggering mechanism, cold front, a dry line, something to trigger these storms. You also have to have very strong winds in the upper levels. Now, once this happened, you need warm moist air from the south, we get that out of the Gulf of Mexico and then dry air coming in from the west. You also need wind direction change with height. When all of these ingredients come together, we can get some very strong and violent storms like we a lot of times see in the spring.
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AZUZ: It`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS "Roll Call." We`ve gotten thousands of requests this year, including one from the pioneers of Wayne Middle School. They are watching from Wayne, West Virginia.
Another, from the Tigers of Durant High School in Durant, Mississippi. Glad to have you watching. And how about the chargers? Good to see our viewers at Bernie Champion High School, and you`ll find it in Bernie, Texas.
Teachers, we hope you`ll take a second to explore cnnstudentnews.com. Our website is awesome. You`ll find close captioning on the video. Just click the cc button. You`ll find questions written for every show. You can sign up for our daily email, where you`ll see in advance what we are covering. It`s all good, it`s all free at cnnstudentnews.com.
AZUZ: During his week-long trip to Asia, President Obama is meeting leaders, dignitaries, innovators and this. Asimo is a humanoid robot who was introduced to the president. It kicked the soccer ball out at him, which he filled it, but didn`t kick back. And then it showed off some sick dance moves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job!
AZUZ: Maybe they are not as good as yours, but Asimo was programmed to dance as best it could, so you can`t blame the robot for hop and (INAUDIBLE). It seems the president didn`t want to join in. Maybe he was asked and replied, not I, Robot. Maybe he just didn`t like the things mechanics, but in a danceoff between man and machine, I bet anyone would be tempted to try the robot. We are out of time. I hope to see you Tuesday on CNN STUDENT NEWS.